The Charmcaster Read online

  “Your Lordship,” George said as he burst through the door. Behind him Rell could see Rainier, the mountain man he had given instructions to warn him if the Balenians began marching.

  “Is it time?” Rell asked.

  “They are on the move. I left before first contact,” Rainier said. “All of the mountain tribes are mustering, even the women want a piece of the enemy. Our young are all being consolidated into one big tribe; we are moving them out of the way like you requested.”

  “George my last order to you is to start the bell to ringing in all of my towns” Rell said. “That is the signal for everyone I have been training to come forward. When my guard gets here let them know to bring all of my staves, glowing or not. You can leave immediately afterwards.”

  ~

  Rell had taken the most direct route to the mountain pass he was sure the Balenians would use. He was excited to see the people he called his army were already marching to meet the enemy. It took him awhile just to get through the throngs of people to his observation post. When Rell finally saw it, he was shocked at the devastation. Pieces of men were everywhere. The Balenian front line had been decimated and Rell couldn't see a single casualty on his side. The mountain people were well entrenched on the sides of the mountain out of harm’s way. There they were free to rain down lightning on the enemy and had rotated out staves or people enough that the stream of lightning was practically continuous. Balen's army hadn't even reached his main fighting force yet. Rell had originally thought the mountain tribes would have to take the brunt of the fight if his people were not in place prior to an attack. But Rell couldn't imagine they would ever have lost the battle after what he was seeing.

  “This is the first fight I have been a part of in which our enemy is feeling all of the pain,” Everest said as he towered over Rell. Everest was the largest mountain warrior Rell had ever seen. He dwarfed everyone he came across. Everest’s deep voice sounded over the sharp cracks of lightning and Rell could see the other heads of the tribes agreed with him.

  “If we had this power, we would have had never been conquered,” Foraker said. “We would have sent the enemy to their afterlife instead of most of our tribesmen going to ours.”

  “A paradox” Rell said grinning at Foraker, who was the leader of one of the smaller tribes.

  “If we were never beaten, then you would never exist,” Foraker said. “If you never existed, then we wouldn't ever have this power to crush our enemies.”

  “We need more of this power,” Everest said. “Denali was coming to find you, he knows this as well. We have three people who have this power in all of the tribes, we cannot settle on who gets control of them. Especially since one belongs to Sandia and he is not likely to give one of his tribe to my control. After witnessing this though, I know for a fact that they should stay together and that we need more people with this power. They can arm everyone. Mages can only arm themselves.”

  “Is that what our meeting was supposed to be about?” Rell asked.

  “That and we have an answer to one of your biggest problems,” Everest said.

  “Answers that we want to be kept between us with mountain blood,” Foraker said. “We have large deposits of gold in the mountain. We mine it ourselves and keep it well hidden. There is also a place to find the red gems you call rubies. We have started collecting them and making our own staves now that we have seen the technique and the teachers you gave us have given us the knowledge.”

  “Thank you for your trust,” Rell said. “And I agree that it shouldn’t get out. Anyway, can you mint it into coins? Moving coins is a lot easier than moving nuggets. With nuggets people will start asking questions.”

  “We thought this as well,” Foraker said. “Our gold is yours. We will start giving it to you in a finished state. We thought bars would be easier to deal with since we do not have the materials to make the coins.”

  “I think we need a treasury high up in the mountains,” Rell said. “Maybe we can use magic to carve out a little place. There I want all of the riches and technology we have. I will bring in outside technology and from there the tribes can learn what those on the outside already know. Find your brightest minds and I will send them to learn. When they return we can put them to work.”

  “It is amazing hearing this talk,” Crillon said. “We are in a battle and we are winning so thoroughly hardly anyone of us is watching the outcome.”

  “The outcome has already been decided,” Rell said. “The only thing I am thinking about is whether we should pursue the Balenians across their border and continue the fight. There is a lot of money to be made by selling armor, weapons, supplies and ransoming back military leaders. But I think I may just kill any high ranking prisoners and be done with it. Many people are keen to send others to die. When they know they could die is when people get cautious.”

  “That down there is not the majority of their armies,” Foraker said. “I have seen ten times as many men swarm the mountain.”

  “Then I will keep the high ground and let them flee,” Rell said. “I need to get the word to the rest of them. I can see the others marching in now. They will form a line and kill off any Balenians that get through the lightning attack. We have to be running low on staves now, the charms in them will need to be refilled.”

  “Then I should signal a stop?” Everest said.

  “For now” Rell replied. “I want to see how the others will fare. They need a victory themselves so they can have morale.”

  Rell saw the lightning attack stop. The Balenians rushed forward once it ended and ran into a wall of fire from his Barony army. Men were roasted alive and others began to flee. While the mountain people had stopped with the lightning, they had started throwing spears, shooting arrows and throwing rocks down on their attackers. Rell finally relaxed once he saw them retreating en masse. Rell still wasn't sure if he had lost a single person. This was his first victory and he wanted to mark the day. At least two thousand of the enemy lay dead or dying and his people were relatively unscathed.

  Rell came down off the mountain. He was unsure if there would be another attack but wanted to be ready. His forces were more than enough to fight off an enemy. The mountain tribes were still a people within a people and he would see to it they stayed that way. Another problem jumped into his mind, the mountain people wanted more charmcasters. They had three male charmcasters, Rell had at least twenty female charmcasters in his Barony. Rell would need to hold an all charmcaster event, it would be up to the half mages to assert themselves if they wanted a chance. A smile crossed Rell’s face as he thought about the fighting. He still had the Martins to deal with and now had time to do it properly.

  Rell waved his hand as he got on his horse, his people cheered when they saw him. Rell thought this was the elation of battle. They had crushed an enemy into paste and felt invincible. Old men, young girls, old women and cripples had been on that line. They not only held it but they turned the enemy away. The stories of this battle was something Rell looked forward to hearing.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Please make this quick,” Rell said as he stared in his dungeon at Robert Martin and his son Robert Junior. Rell had known they refused to pay taxes and had bad mouthed him to whoever would listen. Rell sent his personal guard force in and knew the experience had to be humbling. Five young teenage girls and three chubby middle aged women. They were armed with spells of silence, magic drain and stun. The entire family was subdued as soon as they tried to fight. The silence spell had neutered all of them and the magic drain was the cherry on the cake. Rell only wanted Robert and his oldest son to spend time in the dungeon. He knew they would be angry and scared. For a mage to be beaten into submission by a few girls was a story that would get around.

  “Do you know who I am?” Robert said angrily.

  “No” Rell lied. “You are just some tax evader. Pay your taxes or end up in here. Next time you will be either killed or kicked out of my lands.”

  “I am Robe
rt Martin,” Robert said angrily.

  “And why would I care?” Rell replied, then looked at the leader of his guard force, an older woman named Margie. “Who is Robert Mathens?”

  “Martin, Your Lordship,” Margie said. “He is the head of a family of mages living out here. Charmcasters who are here do not have to pay any taxes so he said he wouldn't pay any as well. He has boasted of what he would do if you ever came for him.”

  “Well I am here,” Rell said. “I am guessing you have changed your mind about whatever you were thinking about doing?”

  “I am Kimberly’s brother,” Robert said angrily.

  “My stepmother?” Rell asked.

  “Yes your stepmother,” Robert said.

  “Well then can I call this a misunderstanding?” Rell asked. “My position is now clear. Pay your taxes or leave. My laws extend throughout the Barony no matter who is living here. Why weren't you and your family helping us fight off the Balenians?”

  “Because you are not the king and can't command me” Robert said. “We have been locked in this hole for a week now.”

  “I am not the king. But I do want you to hear me out,” Rell said, as he opened the door to the cell and towered over the man. “Fail to pay your taxes again and I will kill you. Neither Kimberly nor anyone else will save you. Say something stupid to me and you and your son will stay here for another two months while you cool off.”

  Rell stepped aside as the Martins left. He couldn't help himself when Margie started laughing and joined in with her. The Balenians were still on the border but had not tried to come fight again, Rell had been spending his time refilling staves for the mountain clans and learning more about the battle and how to make his force better. The mountain men were making staves with rubies embedded in them. Rell had his strongest female charmcasters up in the mountains working with the mountain half mages to charm the rubies into holding lightning spells.

  Rell suspected he couldn't trust the regular populace not to pilfer the rubies from the more expensive staves, so those would stay with mountain tribes. Rell wished he had a few years of peace, it would be enough time to get his forces in perfect order then he could focus on other things. Rell had just gotten back to his estate when he happened upon Jennings talking to Kimberly, Ashlyn and Davin.

  “What has happened?” Rell said as he walked inside.

  “The Voxians have attacked and overwhelmed Earl Victory” Jennings said.

  “Where is our father?” Rell said looking at Davin.

  “Mustering his fighters” Davin said. Rell could tell the boy was nervous.

  “Whatever happened between us has happened and is forgiven,” Rell said as he placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Where is Svend?”

  “He is with John” Kimberly said in a shaky whisper.

  “He is the damn heir,” Rell said through gritted teeth. “Doesn't matter. What other instructions were you given?”

  “Father thinks he will die in this fight,” Ashlyn said. “He is only trying to hold the lines long enough for the royal army.”

  “Jennings,” Rell said. “Get in contact with the mountain clans and let them know as of now they are my first and last defense for protecting the Barony. Muster my forces. I want every horse, man, woman and child over twelve to get ready to march. If anyone other than the merchants who have been funding most of this war and their immediate family refuse then kill them on the spot. Any tax dodgers who decline then kill them on the spot. I want a sizable force ready to ride out in four hours’ time, everyone else can catch up.”

  “Yes Your Lordship,” Jennings said and Rell was surprised none of the snarkiness Jennings normal showed when given an order was present.

  “Kimberly we have had our differences but that ends now,” Rell said. “My father, brother and I could all die. I am going to leave a small force here to protect you but the best protection is anonymity. If my father sent you to me then he was taken by surprise by the ferocity of the Voxians.”

  Rell had every stave he owned loaded up on some wagons along with all of the gear they would need. His father was probably in the far reaches of the duchy and it would take him two days to reach the man if he rode hard. Rell would ride out with his cavalry and only take a small amount of food and water along with his staves. The rest of the weapons could catch up later along with the majority of his force, it would probably take them a week and a half to get there with all of the equipment they would need. It took Rell five hours before he had two hundred horsemen, some were on ponies while others rode plow horses. There were even some mules in the mix and Rell wanted to shake his head at the sight. At least everyone looked ready to ride and Rell was beside himself in wanting to go.

  For the majority of the trip Rell stayed silent, he spent most of his time irritated at the slow mode of travel and the drain of placing high powered spells in the staves he brought with him. Every person would carry two staves, one would be filled with lightning spells and the other would be fire spells. Rell knew he wouldn't be able to completely fill the lightning staves on his own but tried anyway. His heart seemed like it would leap out of his chest at the site of his father’s estate sitting empty. He could see looters had gotten hold of it and had no time to put all of them to the sword. A mass exodus was happening with the rich and noncombatants and Rell knew things had to be even worse than he thought. Fighting the Balenians in a closed up area using people familiar with the environment was one thing, fighting a superior opponent who also had mages in an open field was another. It was midafternoon on the third day when Rell caught up with the battle. He could see the Voxians were numerous and had his father’s men surrounded on all sides. They were closing in for the kill.

  “To me” Rell said as he spurred his horse forward, his guard was right behind him and ready to fight.

  Lightning spells ripped into part of the enemy line. Rell’s people pressed forward and kept their attack up until all lightning charges had been expended. The enemy was taken by surprise from the attack, they had no defense for it. Nor could they defend against the fire attack that came soon afterwards. The staves were used up far quicker than Rell would have liked. The Voxians though were grouped up and suffered heavy casualties and began to flee. Rell jumped off his horse and waded into the cluster of his father’s men, they looked like frightened deer Rell thought as he pushed his way through.

  “Where is the Duke” Rell screamed. “Who is in charge in here?”

  “It’s the charmcaster” Rell heard a voice behind him stay.

  “Where is the Duke?” Rell said as he looked at a brown haired man gripping a staff tightly.

  “I don't take orders from…” was all the man got out before Rell slammed his fist into the man’s mouth. The mage didn't have a chance to say anything else has Rell started stomping his head into the ground, the only reason the man was saved was when Terrie, one of his guards pulled him off.

  “The Duke has fallen” Rell heard Svend say.

  “When?” Rell asked.

  “This morning” Svend said shaking. “The Voxians made a grand push, father killed at a rate of ten or eleven to one but he said they had numbers. I was supposed to be leading the men to retreat back to where you are but I got lost.”

  “Where are your leaders at?” Rell asked Svend.

  “Gone, they died with most of our elite troops” Svend said.

  “Alright I need these men formed up and ready to go” Rell said.

  “I am the Duke now, I should be giving orders” Svend said.

  “Do you really want that responsibility?” Rell asked.

  “No,” Svend said.

  “Alright we need to get everyone ready to move now” Rell said. “Right now the enemy thinks they are fighting full mages instead of charmcasters. It is going to take them a while to figure out a way to combat two hundred mages showing up on their flanks. The rest of my men will be here in a week or so but I don't know if we have that amount of time. Once they are here I will make the
Voxians pay for their mistake. This dog has teeth.”

  Rell started herding all of the remaining mages who were both angry he was giving them orders and relieved that someone was taking charge. Rell had them riding the horses. They were told to launch whatever attacks they could, then flee. Their spells would probably be a delaying tactic at best Rell thought but he only had so much to work with. Rell started moving the men out. Everyone in the back ranks was given a magic staff whether it was useful or not. Rell hoped it would make the enemy pause even more. The rest of the day they were able to march without any incident. The Voxians were still in their same position according to his sentries and seemed to be more concerned with waiting for reinforcements. Rell still marched the men hard. They slept very little the next day and had to eat on the move. On the third day of heavy marching Rell got word that the Voxians were on the move. He determined it was a foot race now. If Rell could meet his army, he would be in a much better position to hold the enemy off and even start driving them back. It all sounded good but meeting up with his people was easier said than done.

  ~

  Rell thought he would cry if he was any happier. Most of his army had made the march and they had plenty of charged staves. Rell went to work charming the expended staves as his army took their place waiting for the enemy. Svend rode on to Rell’s estate along with twenty of his guards and all of the remaining mages. The magic users were frightened but tried to pass off their leaving as wanting to protect the new Duke. It took the Voxians three days to catch up.